


Happy Beginnings

by Skyepilot



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Aliens, Angst, F/M, Humor, Kissing, Laffs, Phil you're a dummy, Romance, SHIELD, Speculation, Yes that trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-15
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-24 21:01:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1616951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyepilot/pseuds/Skyepilot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following the events of Beginning of the End and the rest is pure speculation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy Beginnings

"A.C.?"

He turned around to see her standing behind him, a strange expression on her face. She was in a t-shirt and shorts. Presumably what she slept in. 

"Skye," he replied.

He held the knife still in his hand, her eyes roving over the wall.

"You did this. Wrote all this." she said.

"Yup."

She turned sharply, fixing her gaze on him. Uncrossing her arms, blinking. Fidgeting with something in her mind.

"Do you know what it means?" She said it carefully, like it was a test.

She was testing him. His eyes narrowed, but he couldn't hide the smile.

"Of course I do," he replied.

"I've seen this before," she said, raising her chin. "Ward saw it when we hijacked Amador's eye feed."

"Is that true?" he asked, turned back to the wall, continued writing.

He heard shuffling behind him. He really hoped she wasn't, going to...

Skye grunted and swung the fire hydrant.

He caught it with one hand near his head, turned and looked at her eyes get wide. She let go, ran to the door.

But he was faster. Was there before she could get it open, holding both hands up in front of him.

"Skye, Skye, I'm not going to hurt you," he said.

He could see her already drawing in a breath to call for help, he grabbed her into a hold, but his hand over her mouth while she fought him underneath. When she had settled down, he continued.

"I'm going to let you go, Skye. I'm not going to hurt you. We can talk about this. Okay?"

She nodded her head.

He released her and she made an angry face at him, stalked back towards the wall. Began running her fingers over it.

"You're not Coulson," she said, angry.

"Yes. No. We're both here," he shrugged. "He's sleeping."

Skye spun around at him. "Does he know?"

He teased a small smile. "I think he's beginning to suspect."

She looked him up and down. He could tell she was noting all the things about him that weren't Coulson. His stance, rigid posture, the smile plastered across his face.

"You think this is *funny*?" It came out scathing. Like she was boiling inside.

"No," he said, "Just...think you're very pretty."

She drew in a huge breath, ready to let him have it.

"He does, too, you know."

Skye released the breath and turned two shades of red. She turned away from him, blinked.

"Sorry," he began.

"Don't," she interrupted.

"We do agree about a lot things," he offered. "After all, this arrangement was his idea."

"What?" she asked.

"Yup. He might not remember right now. But, it was."

"Because of TAHITI."

"That's right," he frowned a bit at that. Fury might have erased him. Might. That was a bit of a gamble. Fury.

"What does all of that say?" she said, motioning towards the wall. "Where are you from?"

"Hala. It's a ways off."

He walked towards her, she backed away, backed herself into a shelf. Eyed the HYDRA weapon on it. 

A hurt look passed his face. "C'mon now, you're not still mad are you?"

She looked up at him. Into Coulson's face. It was all starting to catch up to her.

"What does it say?" she asked, eyes glistening.

"I wouldn't ever," he furrowed his brow at her. They were too close. "I couldn't violate his trust like that," he continued, moving away from her. "Or get in the way of your...feelings," he added.

"My feelings? Seriously?" she started.

"Phil might be a bit dense," he grinned, "But I'm not."

Skye crossed her arms and looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"I'll let him tell you. It's safer that way," he ended.

He smiled, relieved, and continued writing.

 

****

Coulson was standing in his suit staring at the writing on the wall. His expression alternating between concentrated and blank.

Skye watched him. The rest of the team was busy, getting the base prepped, doing inventory, getting Fitz settled into Medical. She wasn't very good at waiting, so she had said she wanted to show him something in the storage room.

"You found this last night?" he asked her again.

"Yes," she said.

"Just like this?"

"Yes, just like I told you."

He rubbed his hand across his chin. 

"Do you know what it is?" she asked him tentatively.

Coulson stole a glance at her, looked back at the writing.

"I've seen something like it before," he said. "And so have you," he looked at her. "Amador's eye feed. And Garrett had written something similar," he continued, poking his thumb at the nearby panel from the Bus. "But this version seems...I dunno...more...complete."

"Anything else?" she said after he'd paused and gone back to staring at it. "Feelings, impressions?"

"Skye," he said, turning towards her. "What aren't you sharing with me?"

She sighed and looked away from him.

"I know you," he said, "And you're not exactly great at hiding things."

"Not as good as you," she said under her breath.

"What was that? Look, we have a lot of work to do," he said, the frustration starting to show through. "If you have something I need to know, you'd better come right out and say it."

Walking over to him, she got in his personal space, the way he had been standing in hers the night before. Not *him* him, but the other him. Anyway, she looked up at him slowly.

"Are you hiding anything from me?" she asked him. Her eyes penetrating, searching.

He shifted from one foot to the other, but kept eye contact with her. His lips drawn into a thin line. "Something happened to me in TAHITI," he said. "But, as I told you, I was the project's director."

She nodded. Keep going.

"When I asked Fury about why he put me through it, even after all my objections, that it was meant for an Avenger, he said..." Coulson trailed off.

"Said what?" Her eyes were getting wider. He was on the verge of it.

"He said that was right."

He slowly let out a breath that he'd forgotten he was holding.

"Skye, he was talking about me."

Skye walked over to the wall, slowly ran her hand over the grooves, tracing the symbols.

"So, you know what this is."

He joined her, copied her motions. "No, but, I think I made this. It's the only explanation."

"Maybe I did it?" she smiled. "I was injected with that stuff, too, ya know."

Coulson smirked.

"Maybe..." he said with doubt.

 

****

It had become a routine now. He would be up late, making the drawings. She would come and visit if she was restless or too awake. Sometimes to remind him that Coulson was a human and needed sleep (not really true, but they could figure that one out on their own). Sometimes to just learn more about him.

They had moved his late night scribblings to a room that would keep all the walls in the Playground from being drawn on. Which kind of made its own joke. Which she had to explain to him.

The team knew now. What he was, what was going on. But the new recruits and staff did not. They didn't think that the knowledge of the Director of the Secret Avengers sharing headspace with an alien would garner any good will, from pretty much anyone.

"Is it a map?" she asked, watching him.

He smiled. Just a hint of one.

"I'm so right," she exclaimed, eating a giant spoonful of ice cream. "Where does it lead?"

"All...across...the galaxy," he said, tapping at different points on the map.

"I heard Coulson scores higher than you in Call of Duty, is that true?"

He scowled at her. "He gets more hours in than I do."

"Mahrv, you're a soldier, right? So, I kinda feel that you should really own that score."

Hmmph. That was it? She was just going to drop the stuff about the map?

Two could play at that game.

"That uniform you've been running around in?" he began, "It's distracting Coulson."

"Uh, excuse me?" she said, taking the spoon out of her mouth. She was sitting on a stool at the far end of the room watching.

"The zipper goes all the way to the top for a reason."

She cocked her head to the side and stared him down.

"Maybe," she said animatedly. "He can write a new reg about it and we can make a general announcement?"

"Might have to," he added, chuckling.

The carton and spoon went on the stool and she walked over looking at the map. Fitz would've probably figured all of this out by now.

"If Coulson has a problem with 'these'," she said, pointing, "maybe he should just tell me..." She looked over at him. "To my FACE," she said loudly, his eyes darted up to hers. He grinned, unapologetic. "And then he can have that talk with Romanoff, too."

Oh. Romanoff. Yup. He'd never have that talk with her. He'd never have that talk with Skye, either. What was wrong with the man?

"Or, you could just, I don't know," he said, leaning on the podium, at the front of the room, propping his elbow on it, "Hit on him. Just a suggestion."

"You're asking me to hit on yourself. That's weird," she said with accusation, and a look of disgust.

"You can practice on me, if you want." He smiled that smile again. The very un-Coulson-y one.

He was harmless, but way too on-the-nose for her when it came to flirting. He wasn't smooth like Phil was. If she ever *did* kiss Phil, she'd kind of be kissing this guy, too. And then she'd never hear the end of it. 

"I was just kidding," he said seriously, noticing her face fall into a frown.

"Please," she said, rolling her eyes. 

"Seriously," he said. "I mean, I do think you're pretty spectacular," he added. "But, I'm kind of rooting for you and Phil."

"Thanks, I guess?" She paused in thought. "The circles are planets."

"Nnnnope."

"Hmm...."

 

****

Nothing better to set you straight than a good old fashioned dose of almost dying.

They knew there was the possibility that the mission had been bait. After all, they had teased information about Skye's origin.

Maybe they'd gotten a little cocky because they'd done such a bang-up job of rounding up HYDRA and what was left of CENTIPEDE. They hadn't encountered someone really good and prepared in awhile. 

And this time it cost them.

They were cornered in a shanty in Bangkok, tucked in while they were being fired on, probably triangulated. They group following them was organized. They shared some familiar features, a series of tattoos that indicated a connection.

And then Raina's voice coming over a speaker, telling them very calmly that she missed them both and would like to chat with Skye.

They wanted Skye.

Well, who didn't?

At least, that was the frustrated thought that popped into his mind. They'd come without the team, just the two of them, keeping it hush-hush. Stupid. May had objected, had given in. Probably because he wanted to get out from behind a desk. Mostly because he wanted to be alone with Skye for a change.

Back to back, they'd fought their way out of the room, a gun in each hand. But Coulson had taken a bullet in his side. This was all supposed to just be a quiet exchange of information in a teahouse. What happened to that?

"I'm bleeding out," he said, as he removed a hand when they managed to get over the fence. She threw his arm over her shoulder and helped. They could hear the footsteps coming after them, taking the fence.

Skye's eyes went to the bank across the street. 

"There," she said. There was a armored truck outside, there would be heavy security. People with guns.

Coulson stood up as straight as he could, they walked past the doors.

All of the metal detectors went off.

What? None of these Nite Nite guns had metal components. 

Skye looked at Coulson, he just stared back at her. She narrowed her eyes as the guards all ran towards them, barking commands.

Over their shoulder, three guys who were weapons with or without guns were headed their way.

Skye nodded at Coulson and pulled the gun out of the man's hand nearest her while forcing him away with a kick. They ducked behind the counter as one of the guards laid down some fire. Coulson took her gun, aimed at one of the sprinklers and set the system off. They ran out of the back as more shots were exchanged behind them. Then across the street, through the alley, they entered a Thai restaurant, and began running through the kitchen.

"Always wanted to do this!" yelled Skye. "Just like in the movies." 

"Yeah?" he yelled after her a little out of breath.

They stopped on the sidewalk outside. No one came through the restaurant after them. They probably just had moments. Coulson was still holding the gun. 

He looked up at the kid on a motorcycle recording the whole thing with his phone. 

"And that," he said, yanking the phone out of the kid's hand, straddling the motorcycle with Skye sitting behind him. "Do you have a Bitcoin account?" he asked the kid. He nodded. "Good."

Then he gunned the bike just as one of the tattooed men emerged from the restaurant.

They rode for awhile in silence. Finally pulling off the road when they'd gotten outside the city.

"What the hell was that, Coulson?" she said.

"I just thought we'd pay the kid for his bike."

"You know that's not what I meant."

He leaned against a tree, clutching his side, slid down to the ground.

"Let me look at that," she said, sighing. She swung her backpack off her shoulder. At least now she was prepared.

"I was planning on telling you," he finally said, grimacing when she cleaned it, patched it.

"Tell me what? Is that the same stuff as Garrett? Are you like, Deathlok 4.2 or something like that?"

"No," he said, glancing at her then looking away. "Life Model Decoy."

"You mean like Koenig?" 

He slowly nodded. She set her jaw.

"Just wondering, *Phil*, if any part of you is real." It came out harsh. Much harsher than she'd intended. But, it was what she was thinking.

"Understood," he said. He groaned and got to his feet.

"I'm sorry," she said, trying to help him. He jerked away from her. "A.C., I said..."

"I'm not in this for your pity," he said. "And I get it, Skye," his temper was flaring. "Trust me, no one gets it more than me. But the problem is I can't remember anything!" he said pointing to his head.

She stared back at him, reached out to touch his face.

He grabbed her wrist, pulled it away from him, but held it, raised.

"I would love to tell you everything. *Everything*..." he said, catching himself, staring down at her. Into her.

It had started to rain on them. They'd have to find shelter soon. 

"I know," she said.

A look clouded his face. And passed.

"Dammit, Skye," he said. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into him, kissing her, guiding her mouth to his with his free hand, letting his body express all the frustration, the desire, the need that he'd stored up in him. For her. More than those things, but those were what were at the surface now. 

Whatever was left of him.

He slumped into her. Smooth move, Phil. He popped back awake.

"It's me," he said. "Mahrv." 

"We need blood. Coulson just passed out."

 

****

 

He woke up to the sun filtering through a tattered makeshift curtain. Humid. They were still in Thailand, he'd guess. Sticky warmth next to him, the feeling of a needle in his arm. Skye's glistening arm was dangling over the side of the bed, her face hidden beneath a tangle of hair. There was a dingy sheet tucked over them.

He peeked under his side cautiously. He was still partially dressed. Good.

Skye stirred next to him, saw his curious expression sat up, pulling the sheets towards her instinctively.

"Sorry," she blushed. "It was warm and I wasn't sleeping on the floor. Because. Dirt."

Coulson peeked over the side. Yes. It was.

"You alright?" she asked, brushing his hair down. She looked over his IV, checked his drip bag.

"Yeah," he said, a little dazed. Did he remember all of last night? He definitely remembered part of it, and wondered...

"Mahrv took over," she interrupted his train of thought. "Last night."

"Right," Coulson said, eyeing her. She just stared back at him innocently.

"You passed out," she added. "But Mahrv, he's a real trooper. Took one for the team."

Coulson set his jaw.

She stared back at him.

His eyes narrowed.

So did hers.

"Yep, a real hero."

"Skye, cut it out," he said.

"HeerooooOO!" she sang out, rolling her eyes into the back of her head.

Coulson started laughing.

"Good Lord, let's get out of here."

She pulled on her suit while he was turned away. 

"Yeah, Phil, it's always been a dream of mine to have sex with your body while you're passed out, chatting away with your alien buddy-on-board. Insulting!" She looked at him disapprovingly and shook her head. Zipped her suit up. All the way to the neck. He looked a little sad.

"You're the one who made out with a robot last night." 

"And I would proudly make out with that robot again."

She swung her arms around his shoulders, leaned forward, and kissed him lightly on the lips. He smiled at her shyly, feeling exposed more than he did last night for some strange reason. This girl could undo him. Every time. 

"I know this is a lot to take in," he started, sounding very official.

"Yes," she said. "And, I would like to take it *all* in..." she replied.

"Skye!"

"Wow, Phil. What I *mean* to say is that I don't want to waste any more time worrying about doubts and what ifs," she said. "We still don't know what I am. We still don't really know what *you* are." 

He nodded.

"I just know, that, I love you. I'm in."

She said it.

"Me too," he replied.

Mahrv just smiled.

He loves happy beginnings.

**Author's Note:**

> Skoulson is Mahrv's favorite rom com.


End file.
